Fujitsu T904/T935/T936 Hinge Issues

Considering it is a topic that seems to have gained some traction in different threads, I thought it would be nice to gather reports of hinge problems here.

So my situation is basically that I bought my Fujitsu T904 nearly two years ago and after roughly 10 months it had the problem that the LCD cable just randomly broke someday, with the hinge showing signs of separation. I sent this device in and got the screen replaced, only for the Fingerprint sensor to stop working again (like http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/threads/official-t904-thread.61570/page-95#post-427793). So I sent it in again and the second repair took ages, because they didn’t have any more screens (an indication of screen replacements being more common than anticipated). After the second repair I still had the issue of a broken fingerprint sensor and additionally Bluetooth signal problems (I’m not sure if the antenna for Bluetooth runs through the screen, could be unrelated). Tired of having to send it in again I lived with the problem for a bit (roughly another 10 months) and then my hinge started cracking again. So now I have sent it in again, to get both the hinge and the other problems fixed, but this time Fujitsu is refusing to the repair the device. (Though I had it repaired at a Serivce Partner in Germany the first two times, this time I sent it in to Fujitsu UK). After a month of emails forth and back Fujitsu is still refusing to repair the device. I am now planning to get an ombudsman involved, in order to get an external third party to judge the case.

The hinge seems to have the exact same defect that simon25 had, except that the separation has extended into a vertical crack, since opening and closing the device causes continuous movement making it become brittle and break. I have posted an image showing the two images of the laptops, which compare the damage. Fujitsu has completely ignored my reasoning as to why the device has broken. I have not dropped it, treated it well, always carrying it in a neoprene case.

Concerning the warranty, I have also had Fujitsu making false statements about their warranty. As such if Fujitsu ever refuses your request make sure to mention that the only thing not covered by is improper use. Unfortunately, I cannot post contents of the email due to legal obligations in the footer of support emails, but do keep an eye on what they claim.

I personally have not requested my device back, since I fear they may take this as an acknowledgement, that I am at fault, which I firmly believe I am not. I have attached further images showing the state of my device, with only a few scratches in the corner due to the zipper of my neoprene case. Apart from that these images show what state the device was in, which they now claim is my fault for it breaking.

So anyway my request is that people who have also sent in their device or have had issues please to post it here. Those who have screen separation should be aware that their device is most likely going to crack like mine did, and my personal recommendation is that you send it in. If anyone here has any advice on how to proceed I’d be more than happy to hear. Potential buyers of the mentioned devices may make of this thread what they want

Here are some existing posts about the issue, but the 100-page general thread is getting a bit long…

Wow, I had no clue. After years of abuse and constant use my T902 hinge is still as when i first got it. I thought it was a remarkably sturdy and bullet proof design until i saw this list you've compiled. Sorry to hear about that, its frustrating to have a machine constantly break and service be slow...

Wow, I had no clue. After years of abuse and constant use my T902 hinge is still as when i first got it. I thought it was a remarkably sturdy and bullet proof design until i saw this list you've compiled. Sorry to hear about that, its frustrating to have a machine constantly break and service be slow...

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Well the thing is that the T902 hinge is completely different... The T904 is my third convertible device, the other two being an Acer 1820PT and a Dell Latitude XT2 and both of them had much shorter hinges which don't flex and thus were also rock solid. Is the T902 hinge actually out of metal?

Anyways ATIVQ you had posted something which is now deleted, but had said you had a similar thing with separation, which was just cosmetic with no crack? Could you by any chance upload an image of it? Also I had noticed mine had had a similar thing at first, where the hinge was separated, but when closing the device or at least taking the weight of the screen it would close that gap, meaning it would be flexed each time you open and close it and that the weight of the screen was resting on this plastic part (I think this may be why it has this twisted look). I think it was this constant flexing and unflexing that eventually caused a hairline crack that started to become bigger on mine. Does it also seem like some weight is resting on your hinge?

I was wondering if it is possibly just some glue or something between metal and plastic parts in the hinge (I recall it looked like there was a metal core cylinder / piece) is failing? This would explain the separation and then depending on which side it separated from it may cause too much mechanical stress on the plastic...

Well the thing is that the T902 hinge is completely different... The T904 is my third convertible device, the other two being an Acer 1820PT and a Dell Latitude XT2 and both of them had much shorter hinges which don't flex and thus were also rock solid. Is the T902 hinge actually out of metal?

Anyways ATIVQ you had posted something which is now deleted, but had said you had a similar thing with separation, which was just cosmetic with no crack? Could you by any chance upload an image of it? Also I had noticed mine had had a similar thing at first, where the hinge was separated, but when closing the device or at least taking the weight of the screen it would close that gap, meaning it would be flexed each time you open and close it and that the weight of the screen was resting on this plastic part (I think this may be why it has this twisted look). I think it was this constant flexing and unflexing that eventually caused a hairline crack that started to become bigger on mine. Does it also seem like some weight is resting on your hinge?

I was wondering if it is possibly just some glue or something between metal and plastic parts in the hinge (I recall it looked like there was a metal core cylinder / piece) is failing? This would explain the separation and then depending on which side it separated from it may cause too much mechanical stress on the plastic...

Click to expand...

ohhh, gotcha. yes, the T902 hinge is metal, with a plastic chrome cosmetic casing overtop of it. I didn't realize they redesigned it.

It was exchanged due to repair error and they couldn't fix the issues I had, (which are still haunting the T935 as well)
To answer your question, no. It's the same chassis as the T904. The only difference is on the top left of the monitor, there is an pop-up antenna.

I deleted my post because, like I said, it amounted to "no, I don't have this problem." Since this is going to be the top Google result for "T904 T935 T936 hinge" (the T937 appears to have a chunkier hinge) I might as well post useful information.

Flexibility: The hinge is very flexible, has been this way from day one. Pictured: flexed upward. It flexes up, down, front, back. The display is rigid enough so it doesn't flex in opposite directions under torque (that would deform the display which is very bad.)

Cracks or gaps: Mildly present since day one, grew somewhat more noticeable with wear. Don't appear to affect performance. They grow and seal as the hinge flexes. Pictured: maximum crackage, viewed from working position and from the front (blurry; the white line is the crack). I had to open the display over 180 degrees to get the gap this large. Don't step on the cracks.

Rigidity, firmness: The hinge is very loose. The display angle doesn't slip when in use, but to set the correct angle you have to compensate for the initial wobbliness of about 5 degrees.

All in all not the premium experience you'd expect from the premium price. This goes back to my initial review of the device; it has premium features and premium design, but a lot of design flaws (with regard to the hinge: the gaps in plastic, rigidity, and flexibility). Pretty much every other feature suffers from some flaw that makes it non-premium despite its premium design.

Fortunately it's not 2014 any more and there are superior alternatives for a lower price. If you have to have Wacom EMR, get the more expensive Mobile Studio Pro, it's worth the price difference. If have to have Wacom EMR AND some of the "oldschool" T9xx features (LTE, smart card reader, laptop form factor, replaceable battery, upgradeable RAM/SSD) then you're stuck with the T9xx series. Possibly the T937 will finally fix some of the more glaring issues of the T904/T935/T936.